By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas — It’s time for Clark County to get serious about its jail conditions.
Overcrowding, understaffing, inadequacies and constitutional violations were all stark truths unearthed this week following a professional assessment of the Clark County Detention Center. A panel from the National Institute of Corrections, called on by Sheriff Jason Watson this summer, outlined its findings Thursday morning before a crowd of about 40 citizens who attended a special-called meeting of the quorum court. Quizzed on their knowledge of the jail, all seven of the present justices of the peace said they had concerns about the jail’s conditions.
The multi-pronged assessment, performed during the first half of the week, considered all components of the local justice system to determine the jail’s weaknesses and strengths.
A tour of the jail facility showed a number of concerns, from an inadequate sally port (a secure garage where prisoners are escorted from the squad car to the jail) to “gaping holes” in the ceiling where tiles have fallen, potentially allowing prisoners to store contraband or plan escapes. The control center, where a jailer keeps a watchful eye on the cells and prisoners, lacks proper video surveillance and intercom communication. Jail cells have inadequate lighting. Sanitation is lacking. Laundry is limited to a single, retail-grade washer and dryer. Black mold was found in a shower. Female prisoners, when they are housed in Clark County, are kept in a holding cell with no access to a shower. Furthermore, the jail is understaffed and has too little space for typical functions of a detention center.
The Jail and Justice System Assessment shined positive light on the components of the local judicial system, which was praised as a well-greased machine in terms of working relationships between law enforcement and the court system — in fact, the three-person panel agreed it had not witnessed such judicial cohesiveness anywhere else in the nation.
A statistician on the panel, using data from jail booking records, pointed out that the jail’s average daily population is always above its operational capacity and often above maximum capacity (for 16 straight months, he said, the jail population has been above the max). Compared to 2023 figures, prisoner intake was up 2% and the average length of stay was up 24% in 2024, an indication that booking remains flat while adjudication is taking longer. The overall racial makeup of prisoners, compared to the county’s demographics, is fairly balanced.
Next steps
Following the assessment, which was a no-cost service to the county, the next phase would be planning and outlining the facility’s needs. Then would come the design phase, followed by construction and, finally, the process of opening a new facility. Should the county’s legislative body pursue the construction of a new jail, details of each phase would be ironed out as the project progresses. There was discussion of the possibility of forming a board or committee to oversee the project.
Funding options were not discussed, although the panel urged local officials to educate the public on all aspects of the project to encourage public support.
Justice Jenna Scott entertained a motion to allow the sheriff to proceed with the planning phase. Scott’s motion was withdrawn when county Judge Troy Tucker asked to wait until all justices — including two who will start their terms in January — are equipped with and studied the printed handouts of the assessment report.
Sheriff responds
Watson admitted at the beginning of the meeting that he originally pledged to tackle the issue of building a new jail when he was elected in 2009, but learned when he took office that the county was unable to fund, staff or secure a new jail.
Watson, who sat and listened as the assessment was made public, said later that he wasn’t surprised by the findings.
Asked what prompted his request for the federal assessment, Watson told The Arkadelphian that the jail has come to a “tipping point” this year; a prior request before 2020, he said, was squashed due to the Covid pandemic. “There has always been concern that the jail is overcrowded and that our facility is crumbling and falling down, and that we are spending a lot of money on repairs,” Watson said. “I wanted the quorum court to know that I don’t go to them if I don’t have a need — now I have a need, and it’s a need for the citizens and inmates.”
This year has been especially difficult for managing a jail, the sheriff added, as overcrowding continues to strain resources. The overcrowding is due to a bottleneck of available space at state prisons. Whereas in previous years Clark County has been able to house convicted prisoners elsewhere until room is available, it hasn’t been the case lately because of general overcrowding in county jails, Watson said.
Asked about possible funding options, Watson was undecided how to approach the funding, which would ultimately be a decision of the quorum court. “We’re still far away from talking about [funding],” he said. However, if a tax is proposed, the sheriff vowed that it would be fully dedicated to construction of a jail.
During a Q&A portion of the presentation, Justice Scott recommended the sheriff report to the quorum court on a quarterly basis to keep justices abreast of any issues that arise at the jail. Watson told us later that he is receptive to that idea, pledging to keep the jail topic “hot and fresh.” Watson anticipates returning to the quorum court at its January meeting, and he plans to form a jail board and stay in communication with the Justice Planners team. “I cannot let this discussion die,” he said.
The sheriff was adamant about the construction of a jail, whether or not it gets built while he’s in office. And, he said, a new jail isn’t an option — it’s an issue that must be addressed sooner or later.
“It isn’t going away.”
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